DON'T LOOSE YOUR POCKETBOOK IN RUSSIA.

West Coast Times, Issue 3055, 18 January 1879, Page 1 (Supplement)

DON'T LOOSE YOUR POCKETBOOK IN RUSSIA.

A correspond knt of the Sheffild Telegraph rslates the following story, which- he saja illustrates forcibly one phase of life in St. Petersburg : A youn? Scotchman from Edinburgh, Mr. B •by name, passed a few days here for pleasure. One day he. went into the ppatofnoe to purchase a post card. Having written this c^td, which was siuply to inform his friends of the time at which he expected, to reach bis, home, he left the offi:e. He had scarcely got outside when he found that he had forgotten to take up his pocket-book,, which, while writing, he had placed ou the tabl« in the office. HereturLed immediately, and found the clerk in charge very bus/ counting the bank-notes and twenty-mark pieces, whioh were the chief contents' of his pocket-book. " Excuse me," said Mr. B- ,in Garmsn, "I have forgotten my pocket-book ; will you be bo kind as to give it hick to me ?" The R ißsian official kept the book in hia hands and s'ared at Mr. B— — as if bo did not understand him. He. who had spoken German quite fluently only a few moments ago, now could only shrug his shoulderß, as he put away the foreign money in tha recesses of his capacious Rjssian pocket. Mr. B then.||ddreßßed himielf to the other clerks, and one-of them cried in .an imperious voice, " Take'off your hat." The, Eigliahman had forgotten that iv his hurry, and* immediately <sbmpli»d with the rudely expressed dictate. He then asked once more for his pneket-book. "The book," was the official's reply, " you cannot hi-.va just r/ow ; you must, in the first place, give satisfactory proof that you are the owner." '•Well," said the young man, "look then iv the pocket-book and you will find my passport and , other belongings . with my BJgna'ure," which, of course, he was not .prepared to write for the benefit of the oflioial. "Not now, sir," was the Human's answtr. "We, shall examine your papers tomorrow ; youm*y then come again." " But I want to start to-morrow," replied Mr.B "That is no business of ours," replied the Bußf-ian gentleman. ; Very much put oufc, Mr. B— — continued to insist on the usehwsneas and inconveniCD co of putting off till to-morrow what so easily could have been done at the time, but h°> could get no other answer from the Rusbud. offiiial than this.: " We don't care," and "We have "no time." Finally Mr. B- — -went to the EogHsh Consulate and stated his caie. The Consul went with him to the post-office, but was told that the book with the money had already been sent to the police-office. Then to the police-office went the Consul and his compatriot. The book and money had not been heard of ; no doubt they were still at the pout- office. And thus for three days the Consul and Mr. B-^~ were kept running from the police-office to the pest-office, and from the poßt-office to the police-office, without fretting any satisfaction. At last, when the British Consul became very seriou?, the Ru«*ian authorities gave back the pocketbo"k to Mr. B- , bat how ? The R lßßun official— G >spodin Talkoy, we may call him — kept back £7 ef the money; and this, simply because the pocket-book was left for a few momenta on a table in a Government offije in Russia. Imagine such a thing happening in Eo gland or in Germany. Mr. B— — ■ arked for what reason this sum — about a third part of the contents of the* pocket -book— waa kept back. The Rjssian added insult to injury. "I do not want your money," he said, " but I like to make an Englishman give a donation to the new volunteer Russian fleet ; that is where your gold will be sent." M r . H had to pocket the affront, and the Russian pockftei the money.